Lunch in Gettysburg

Ben Custer '10 and I are just back from a trip to Gettysburg for the 150th anniversary of the famous battle there. Beyond thwarting a rebel invasion and preserving democracy, our agenda included lunch with Fred Michel '77 at an Irish Pub in town. It was great fun to meet Fred and hear some of his stories of the Trautman era. We also, frankly, spent a great deal of time talking about the Civil War and about the history of Frederick, Maryland, where Fred lives.

With Ben Custer '10, and Fred Michel '77

I would have more to say about our conversation, but my memory has been obscured by being killed four times in as many days (yes, we spent four days reenacting a three day battle; these things take time), wearing heavy blue wool in the heat of midsummer, and so on. One aspect of the lunch I will not soon forget is Fred's generosity. He had planned to pay for lunch, but our waiter announced that Ben's and my meals had been paid for by the gentlemen at the next table. They had been at the battle that morning or the day before, and they wanted to thank us (as representatives of the reenacting community) for making it possible for them to get a sense of what had happened 150 years earlier. Fred, not to be outdone, gave the folks his card and generously offered to show them around the various points of interest in nearby Frederick. Having spoken with Fred, I know a) that there is a great deal to see in Frederick, Maryland, and b) that Fred's knowledge and enthusiasm for the area make him an ideal tour guide; I do hope the good folks took him up on the offer. In any event, it was a nice display of community/generosity on Fred's part.